And we’re off! Our grand nomadic experiment started with a bang in the technicolor wonderland of Crested Butte, Colorado. Honestly, if fall foliage could have a Super Bowl, this was it! The leaves were flexing harder than our glutes after a week of back-to-back rides.
Arrival checklist:
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Arrive Tuesday night (immediately question life choices based on the mountain of gear we hauled from the car).
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Settle in, prep our personal workstations for work the next day
The Week in "Work/Life Balance"
Let’s be honest: we said we’d work and we did, but our keyboards took second place to two-wheeled adventures among the golden leaves. Here’s how things played out:
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Wednesday–Friday: Work some, bike some more. We tackled Snodgrass (peak leaf-peeping achieved), Lupine + Gunsight Connector + Lower Lower (double bonus peeping), and squeezed in a scenic hike to Irwin Lake—because leaf peeping is just as legit on foot, especially if there’s a surprise waterfall. Kebler Pass even threw in some extra gold sparkle, making us feel like we were living inside a screensaver. Then we hit Crested Butte Resort. More biking, more leaves, possibly a world record for most “ooh, look at those aspens!” shouted per mile. Lets just say this was one of the best "leaf peeping trips" we've had in our lifetime!
Marcus Hits 50—Celebratory Miles Required
Apparently, the only way to properly commemorate Marcus turning the big 5-0 is to drag your friends up 3,400 feet of mountain in a single day. Enter: Reno/Bear/Doctors Park, a 30-mile saga with enough climbing to make our quads file a formal complaint.
Astonishingly, we emerged with no crashes, no mechanical disasters (unless you count Alex’s spoke incident—RIP little buddy), and spirits high enough to justify a victory taco feast and post-ride drinks. Cheers to Marcus for hitting half a century with maximum style points!
Super Shuttle Sunday
We closed out the weekend shuttling Dyke Trail and a few riders squeezing in a bonus lap on 403, because apparently nobody explained the concept of “rest day” to this crew. Hydration was handled responsibly: first at Dogwood, Crested Butte’s fanciest cocktail bar, and then by raiding the house fridge in a culinary blitz to see who could cook up the fanciest grilled cheese or nice steak bought at the local market. In the end everyone had a full belly and enough libations to ensure we didn't enjoy the drive home on Monday!
Next Stop: Sedona
Bags are repacked. Crested Butte, you’ve set a seriously high bar, though if anyone can meet the challenge, it’s Sedona, the fabled realm of energy vortexes and trails that promise both enlightenment and at least one involuntary hike-a-bike.
Onward to red rocks, big skies, and more mountain biking than is probably advisable. Stay tuned!
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